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1901.] MARINE REVIEW. 23 MR. KIRBY’S EXPERIENCE WLTH THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT. An interesting story regarding the experience of Frank E. Kirby, naval architect of Detroit, with the Russian government some time pre- vious to the beginning of work on the famous Russian ice crusher Er- mack, was published recently in the Detroit Free Press. The Free Press says: “The Russian government had heard much of the success of the Ste. Marie, in service at the Straits of Mackinaw, and invited Frank E, Kirby, its designer, to make a bid on a craft of similiar style, but much larger and more powerful. The first intention was to make her of wood, but investi- gation showed there was no suitable oak to be obtained within thousands of miles of the Lake Baikal port where she was to be put together, so steel was substituted. Mr. Kirby figured that many parts of the craft could be constructed at the Detroit plant and shipped to the Lake Baikal port, and the bulkier parts built in Russia and s.ipped there, the lake being in- land. Having completed the plans, on which he put many months of his hard labor, Mr. Kirby shipped them over with his bid, it being the universal custom to accompany all bids to build vessels with the plans thereof. Finally Mr. Kirby was sent for, and went to St. Petersburg. In the presence of the Russian officials he encountered a representative of the great Armstrong ship building concern of England, perhaps the largest in the world, with a dock frontage as large as that of the city of Detroit. It soon became evident that all the astute Russians had been scheming for from the beginning was possession of the plans, for they began to hedge the con- tract about with provisions which made it practically prohibitive to the Detroit company. They demanded, among other things, that the American concern give bond of a Russian company or bank for the entire and faith- ful performance of its part of the contract, and that the boat must be com- pleted on a certain date or the company pay an exorbitant penalty. This simply meant that the Detroit Dry Dock Co. would have to ship over a sum of money equal to the greater part of the price of the boat, and deposit it in a Russian bank as collateral for the bond. This exaction and the rigid nature of the Russian demands and penalties completely disgusted Mr. Kirby, and he refused absolutely to have anything more to do with it, This was exactly what the Russians and the Armstrong representative wanted. The big English concern had done a lot of work, giving Russian security, for that government, and immediately it accept- ed the terms and secured the contract, using the American’s plans. .The Russian government has for some years been successfully operating the big ice-crusher EKrmack on the Baltic sea, but she was built on the general principle of the Kirby plans. While work on the Lake Baikal craft was begun first, owing to the lack of water connection with galt water, the work was so delayed that the Ermack, begun much later, was finished and in operation some time before her. “With the Ermack has often been associated in magazine and news- paper articles in this country the name of the Russian admiral Makaroff, who is generally credited with being her designer and creator, with no thought of credit for the wonderful device to another. Makaroff was sent here by the Russian government at the beginning of negotiations, which were started through a sketch of the St. Ignace drawn by a Detroiter and published in the London Graphic. Makaroff came to Detroit and had long talks with Mr. Kirby and General ‘Manager McVittie of the Detroit Dry Dock Co., which built both the St. Ignace and Ste. ‘Marie. From here he went to the Straits of Mackinaw and closely investigated the workings of the ice crushers and was particularly impressed with the bow screw and the peculiar style of the hulls. It was his favorable report on the plan that induced his government to decide to build. The fact that Kirby’s plans were used is proof that the attempts of foreign designers to make suitable plans, on ‘Makaroff’s description, failed. “A friend of Mr. Kirby’s, who tells this story, says he saw Mr. Kirby just after he arrived back. The latter stated that life was made a burden for him all the time he was in Russia. The authorities took possession of all his mail and opened and read every letter before allowing him their possession. He was under as strict espionage as though he had been suspected of Nihilism, or of having designs on the life of the czar. After passing the border line of the country on his return home, he was so delighted at getting out of the place that he threw up his hat and yelled. The plans were worth from $15,000 to $20,000, from the standpoint of the ship building expert, but to the Russian government they were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet the dishonest emissaries of the czar never offered him one cent for them; they simply confiscated them, for Mr. Kirby concluded that, although according to American law they wereshis property, there was little use in sending in a bill, as the payment would be refused, and a suit in a ‘Russian court by an American against the Russian government could have but one result. So the magnificent Baikal ice crusher, the achievements of which are being written and talked about all over the civilized world, is the product of a barefaced robbery of the brain work of one defenseless Detroit man by the powerful Russian .government.” AROUND THE GREAT LAKES. Mr. M. R. Davis, one of the Davis Dry Dock 'Co., Kingston, Ont., was lately appointed government inspector of steamboat hulls. The total amount of both hard and soft coal on hand at Milwaukee on Jan. 1, 1901, was 603,085 tons, against a total of 618,319 tons on Jan. 1, 1900, or but 15,234 tons less this January as compared with the corre- sponding date a year ago. Capt. Daniel Miesel died Thursday at his home, No. 288 Morrell Street, Detroit, aged about eighty years. He had sailed the lakes all his life, filling the position of captain for about forty years. He was widely known among vesselmen and as a citizen of Detroit. A libel for $10,000 for personal injuries, alleged to have been sus- tained by Charles F. Copps, a stevedore, has been filed at Chicago against the steamer Joseph L. Hurd. A bond has been filed on behalf of the steamer, and her owner, the Leathem & Smith Towing & Wrecking Co., is being represented by Attorneys M. C. Krause of ‘Milwaukee and R. G. MacDonald of Chicago. Officers of Toledo lodge, No. 9, Ship Masters’ Association, for ensu- ing year are: President, James McKinley; first vice-president, Geo. W. Burtis; second vice-president, Geo. H. Burnham; secretary and treasurer, E. G. Ashley; chaplain, James Skeldon; marshal, Frank D. Lamb; war- den, Wm. Harlow; sentinel, D. R. Lynn; delegate to grand lodge, T. C. Herrick; alternate to grand lodge, E. Doville. Officers. of ‘Chicago lodge, No. 3, Ship Masters’ Association, for the’ coming year are: President, James O. Wood; first vice-president, W. D. Hamilton; second vice-president, D. A. Curran; treasurer, Wm. W. Shaw; secretary, F. B. Higgie; chaplain, Samuel Thurston; marshal, Geo. McDonald; warden, W. K. Moore; sentinel, Peter McCulloch; dele- gate to grand lodge, Charles H. Hubbard. Shipmasters of some of the lake cities have expressed in resolutions adopted by their association an opinion as to where additional gas buoys should be established in the St. Mary’s river. This opinion is not alto- gether in accord with a recent report on the subject made by the light- house inspector of the eleventh district, which includes the river. The shipmasters recommend the establishment of buoys at Watson shoal, foot of Pipe island; at-Dark Hole, opposite the red gas buoy now estab- lished there; at Stubbling point (turning point head of Little Mud lake) to take the place of Capt. Rolleau’s float-light; at head of the Dyke (turn- ing point) to take the place of red stake now located there; opposite Point au Pins light-house; at Cedar point in lieu of black stake now stationed there; also two buoys at new channel cut, Sailors’ Encampment, and two off Mission point, below Point Iroquois. ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES OF VESSELS AT BUFFALO. According to the collector of customs the number of arrivals and de- partures of vessels in the district of Buffalo during the past season was as follows: VESSELS ENTERED, No. of vessels. Gross tonnage. WOdSiWiSe sc oe Onee warner ie sok. payee eos 3,745 5,016,527 AMeTicanein torelen trade.) .. cis. eee 1,036 293,44u POreigit inforéign trade.h <. . sce caecaseureiaes 164 31,161 Ty Otaltagwr yk i, Pe Sie os Pak ee a vidoe 4,945 41,218 No. of vessels. Gross tonnage. COAST WISE 0.5 Cate ne, OMe a Store 3,850 5,060,103 American in foreign trade .2................ 1,038 282,207 Foreign: in foreign trade... 5,028 17,784 Tota ee oe ere es ea eae ae ies 5,028 5,360,094 TOTALS FORK FORTY YEARS. Gross Gross No. of vessels. tonnage. No. of vessels. tonnage. 1900. et oe 9,973 10,701,222 18805. 3.40 59010808 5,935,746 deh et ie inet Comes 10,417 10,480,515 1ST: fee 8,446 4,442 797 BOR eee 11,2638 12,264,717 LOTS eae 8,743 4,663,688 NS Oi case cake ean 11,568 11,581,858 WOT Res cre ses 2 6,848 3,513,363 1896. 7 11322 11,304,742 ISKG Seah 4,624 2,727,896 1QOD Se as 9,914 9,462,423 LOTS, ties ces BOT 3,259,839 SOAs ee. 9,664 8,789,902 IST4 scree 7407 3,641,839 Coo raee eae 10,653 9,494,559 AG TBA metesteht 9,959 4,886,733 1892 .. 11,489 9,560,922 1ST See 103393 3,688,058 189k ugk a. 10,879 8,928,763 ISL ak es 10,894 4,862,644 1O90t aa 9,762 7,006,415 1S(Ok eta . 10,625 4,157,793 SSO Sie een 9,018 6,900,798 1869). escsak 10,221 4,007,196 IS88es os ees 8,647 6,026,814 186832 tee: 11,812 4,256,836 1880s vesie cc 9,950 5,302,650 ISG se 12826 5,806,960 1886s oah..6s 1,042 4,753,467 W866 :sesek ee 13,782 6,951,959 188552. Gs 6,928 4,795,710 L865. seme 13,746 5,032,598 DSSA Sis: 28 07589 4,386,575 IS 64. ees 14,205 6,891,348 i keteats siren eaoa 7,674 4,405,543 [S682 aes 15,376 6,757,904 TOS 2U os ee 7,333 4,405,008 1862. ....:... 16,890 6,689,194 LSS nes 6,745 4,585,223 Role) hesagas Sato Eee 13,866 5,963,866 SPECIAL OFFER IN CORRESPONDENCE INSTRUCTION. Ambitious men, who desire to ‘obtain better positions and higher wages, should investigate the free scholarship ofter made in another column by the American School of Correspondence, Boston, Mass. Situated in a large city, which is a recognized educational and industrial center, this well known correspondence school has many natural advan. tages in teaching the theory of the trades and engineering professions. Without leaving home or losing time from work, the student pursues a thorough course of study under the direction of able instructors, who are always ready and willing to assist him. Instruction papers, prepared especially for teaching by mail, are furnished free. These papers, written in clear and concise language, as free as possible from technicalities, are superior to ordinary text-books on the subjects of which they treat. In addition, special information regarding any difficulties in their studies is furnished students without extra charge. It should be the ambition ot every man to advance in his trade or profession. A mechanic with prac- tical experience, supplemented by theoretical education, can command a better position than a man without such an education. The result of long experience in teaching by mail shows that no other method so fully meets the requirements of men who have but little time for study. ORDERS FOR PUNCHES, SHEARS, ETC. The Cleveland Punch & Shear Works Co. reports that they are re- ceiving a great many inquiries for their machines, and some of them have developed into orders within the past few days. Among the latter is an order for a 50-in. rotary planer from the Carnegie Steel Co. of Pittsburg. The Cleveland company has shipped within the past few days the fol- lowing tools: One special “I” beam punch, one 16-ft, radiai drill, and one bending and straightening machine to'McMath & Colburn, Walker- ville, Ont.; double 48-in. throat punch to the Eastern Ship Building Co.. New London, Conn.; 50-in. rotary planer to the Rochester Bridge & Iron Works, Rochester, N. Y.; 12-ft. arm radial drill to the Buffalo Dry Dock Co., Buffalo, N. Y.; double 30-in. throat punch to the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., Anaconda, Mont.; 36-in. throat punch to the Craig Ship Building Co., Toledo, O., and several other punches and shears to various parties.